Cooker.



A. 1. KEAST.

COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1915.

A. J. KEAST.

COOKER.

AIXPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1915.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

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. eferlemlmm-vue STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFREDJJOHN KEAST, 0F SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 NASH,

ENGELHARDT, SILVA MFG. GO., A COPARTNERSHIP 0 F SAN JOSE, ACALIFORNIA,

CONSISTING F LSR. NASH, E. J. ENGELHARDT, ANDA. J'. SILVA.

oooxnzn.

Siieoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. I'7, 1915.

Application led June 1, 1915. Serial No. 31,482.

To all 'whom it may concern.'k

Be it known thatI, ALFRED J oHN KEAsT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, inv general, to that class of machines used in the canning art, for subjecting material to any given degree of temperature, either for cooking, cooling, or other processing, in which the material is advanced through the heating medium by a revolving carrier.

My invention relates particularly to a machine of this class, especially adapted to treat material in cans, and commonly called a cooker.

It has for its object the provision of a machine of this type in which thecans are carried through the cooking zone 'in the most efficient manner and through a suiiiciently extensive course to insure the effect desired. To this end my invention consists in the novel machine of this class which I shall hereinafter fully describe, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section, broken, of my machine, taken on the line :z2-m 'of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end view, broken, of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view, in the nature of a diagram, showing the relationof the two cans. Fig. 4 is an elevation of Fig. 3.

1 is the heating casing or box, fitted with a cover 2, preferably with a water seal at 3. Within the box 1 is a rotating carrier, of which 4 are the end heads or spiders mounted upon and driven by a shaft 5. Secured to the periphery of the spiders 4, parallel with the axis of the carrier, arethe angle irons 6. These are in pairs, each pair having their radial members separated by a distance to receive the cans upon their floor members. These angle irons are in suieient number to extend all the way around the periphery of the spiders, and the radial members of adjacent pairs have secured between them the radially directed wall blocks 7. l There are thus formed about the periphery of the carrier a plurality of can-ways parallel with the axis of rotation.

Lying upon the floor members of each pair of angle irons, are the fixed pocket-v strips 8. These are best in the form of corrugated strips,` the valleys of which form rest-pockets for the cans. Opposing these fixed pocket-strips are the shifting pocketstrips 9, which consist of corrugated strips similar to and complementing the strips 8. The shifting pocket-strips 9, are carried by backing pieces 10, which, at suitable intervals, are secured to cross-bars 11, the edges of which are iitted to the radial wall blocks 7 in grooves 12 therein, adapting them to slide back and forth. Secured to one of the sliding cross-bars 11 of each shifting pocketstrip 9 is a roller 13. Securedto a bracket 14 within the box 1, at its upper portion, is afixed cam 15, and secured to a bracket 16 in the lower portion of the box is a fixed cam 17, the inclination and effect of the two cams being opposite, that is to say, the contact of the rollers 13 with the upper cam 15 causes the shifting pocket-strips 9 to move, parallel with the axis of the carrier, in one direction, and the contact of said rollers with the lower cam 17 effects the movement of the strips 9 in the other direction, as is illustrated particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. Rotation is imparted to the carrier by means of a worm-gear 18 on the shaft 5, and a worm 19 on the driving shaft 20.

21 is a feed chute for the cans 22. From this they roll upon the flights 23 of a chain carrier 24, driven by a sprocket 25 and chain 26 from a sprocket 27 on the driving shaft. 20. From the iights 23, the cans roll over a chute 28 leading through an entrance opening 29 in the box 1, to the can carrier in the box. In the other side of the box is the exit opening 30, through which the cans pass to the delivery chute 31, along which they are moved by the flights 32 of a carrier 33. The heating medium may be of any suitable character, water lor steam or both. In practice, I supply the box 1 with water,

and heat the water by steam introduced from the steam-pipe 34, through the shaft 5,

the carrier continues its revolution, the cam 15 will force the roller 13 back, lthat is, to the left, in a direction to shift its pocketstrip 9 to such position that the first valley of said strip will lie above the can 22. After leaving the sphere of action of the cam 15, 'theshifting pocket-strip 9 remains in said position with relation to the can, until, having passed the first quarter of revolution, said strip lies below and becomes the iioor for Said can, the fixed strip 8 'then lying above the can. From `this quarter down to the lower cam 17 the can now rests in the first valley of the shifting pocketstrip 9, as is shown by the can at the lower portion of Fig. 1. Then the roller 13 coming into contact with the lower cam 17, the

shifting strip 9 will be moved forward again, that is, to the right, and in so moving it will carry the can forwardy one step and into relation with and lying just under the second valley of the lixed pocket-strip 8. The can will, however, be still carried by the shifting pocket-strip 9 throughout the third quarter of the carriers revolution, but in the fourth quarter it will drop into the second valley of the fixed pocket-strip, and at the top will be in the position indicated at the upper portion of Fig. 1. This leaves the first valley of the xed pocket-strip 8 vacant to receive a Second can, as shown in Fig. 1.= Thereupon the shifting pocket-strlp 9 will move to the left again, to carry its first valley into position over the Second can and its second valley will thereby come to position over the first can. Then at the bottom, the shifting pocket-strip 9 having now received the first can in its second valley and the second can in its first valley, will move forward again and will carry each can one step forward, so that in the fourth quarter of revolution the first can will rest in the third valley of the fixed pocket-strip 8 and the Second can will vrest in the second valley ofl said strip, thus leaving the irst valley of said strip vacant to receive a third can a the top. The operation thus continuesdhere being a plurality of lines of cans in the carrier, parallel with its axis, each line receiving at the top a fresh accession, and at the bottom advancing one step, and each line at the top successively delivering a can through the discharge opening 30.

Though I herein term the casing a heating box, it is to be understood that when the machine is used to cool material the casing becomes a cooling box; and though I describe the material acted upon in terms of cans, it is to be understood that when other processes require it, the material may be handled otherwise than in cans.

I claim A y 1. In a machine of the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said box, having about its periphery a plurality of can-ways parallel with its axis and adapted to receive successively, at one end, the incoming cans, and to deliver them successively from the other end; and means in each can-way, `actuated by the revolution of the carrier, for periodically advancing each can one step, throughout saidcan-ways.

i. 2. Ina machine of 1the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said b'ox, having about its periphery a plurality of can-Ways parallel with its axis and adapted to receive successively, at one end, the incoming cans, and to deliver them successively from the other end, each of said ways havingthroughout its `length a succession of rest-pockets for the cans; and means in each can-way, actuated by the revolution of the carrier, for periodically shifting each can from one of said rest-pockets to the-succeeding one.

3. In a machine of the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said box, having about its periphery a plurality of can-ways parallel with its axis and adapted to receive successively, at one end, the incoming cans, and tor deliver them successively from the other end, each of said ways having throughout its length a succession of fixed rest-pockets for the cans; a shifting device in each can-way having a succession of rest-pockets opposing and complementing the fixed rest-pockets in the can-way; and means actuated by the revolution of the carrier to operate the shifting devices to successively advance the cans from rest-pocket to rest-pocket throughout said can-ways.

4. In a machine of the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said box having about its periphery a plurality of can-ways parallel with its axis and adapted-to receive succes-l sively, at one end, the incoming cans, and to deliver them successively from the other end; a fixed strip of corrugated metal in each can-way, the valleys of said strip forming a succession of rest-pockets for the cans; a movable strip of corrugated metal carried .in each can-way, said movablestrip opposing the fixed strip, its valleys forming complementary rest-'packets for the cans; and means actuated by the revolution of the carrier to periodically reciprocate the movable strip, to successively advance the cans from rest-pocket to rest-pocket throughout said can-ways.

5. In a machine of the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said box, having about its periphery a plurality of can-ways parallel with its axis, said ways being formed by angle irons parallel with said axis and wallblocks radial thereto; a fixed strip of corrugated metal lying upon said angle-irons' in each can-Way, the valleys of said strip forming a succession of rest-pockets for the cans; cross bars itted to slide in the vWallblocks of thel can-ways; a movable strip in each can-Way carried by said cross bars, said movable strip being of corrugated metal opposing the fixed strip, its valleys forming complementary rest-pockets for the cans; and means actuated by the revolution of the carrier to periodically reciprocate the movable strip, to successively advance the cans from rest-pocket to rest-pocket throughout said can-Ways.

6. In a machine of the described class, the combination of a heating box; a rotating carrier in said box, having about its periphery a plurality of can-Ways parallel with its axis, said Ways being formed by angle irons parallel with said axis and Wallblocks radial thereto; a xed strip of corrugated metal lying upon said angle-irons in each can-Way, the valleys of said strip forming a succession of rest-pockets for the cans; cross bars iitted to slide in the wallblocks of the can-Ways; a movable strip in each can-Way carried by said cross bars, said movable strip being of corrugated metal opposing the fixed strip, its valleys 'forming complementary rest-pockets for the cans; and means actuated by the revolution of the carrier to periodically reciprocate the movable strip, to successively advance the cans from rest-pocket to rest-pocket throughout said can-Ways, comprising rollers carried by the supporting cross bars of said strips, and oppositely directed fixed cams with Which said rollers coact. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of Witnesses:

JOHN A. NAISMITH, F. C. BATES. 

